VODAFONE - Terrible CS, unfair credit score - cant get Mortgage due to this-help!

dawn_cunningham

[FONT=&quot]I need some adivce on how to get VODAFONE to correct a bill - I have been waiting 9 months and have got nowhere with Customer Service. I am shocked how bad this is and it has really dented my confidence in VODAFONE. I have been a loyal customer for years, but if this is not resolved i am going to change mobile provider when my contract is up.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]I received a large bill for £690.70 in February 2015 which was unusually high compared to any previous bills, which they could see from my bill history.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]This was quiet upsetting.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]When I upgraded my phone, I was sold the contract under the impression that my date was unlimited.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]I have been mis-sold the phone package - I was told this was unlimited data to begin & this would be adjusted to my needs. I have never been contacted to say this has changed. [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Once I received the bill, i contacted VODAFONE & I was advised to cancel the Direct debit until this is resolved, to avoid the full amount of the bill would be taken out of my account.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]I have recently checked my credit report and I was shocked to see this is at VERY POOR and VODAFONE listed this bill as a late payment!!! [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Previously my report was VERY GOOD.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]I was assured this would not affect my credit. I am currently applying for a Mortgage and this is having serious implications which is devastating.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]I have asked them to contact EXPERIAN and withdraw this credit report - this is completely un-fair.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]I have always made my payments on time previously to this over 6+years being a loyal customer.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]I called numerous times and have never received a call back - I have been told this is still being investigated and assured VODAFONE will call me within 3 days - I have never received a call.
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Every time I follow this up the customer service is so bad, they keep reassuring me that it will be ok and they will have a decision in 3 days - then nothing.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]This has now been going on for 9 months and this is very stressful.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]I want VODAFONE to re-adjust my bill so I can close the balance immediately, I am happy to pay a reasonable amount, but I want the extortionate charges to be wavered.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Most importantly i want them to contact EXPERIAN and remove the credit score.
[/FONT]


[FONT=&quot]I am trying to get a mortgage and have been refused due to this credit problem. This is devastating. I have saved for 8 years for a deposit, I am a professional woman and work really hard only for a stupid mistake to have such an impact on my life.[/FONT]


[FONT=&quot]I wrote an official complaints letter 7days ago and have not heard anything back.
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]How can I get someone to listen to me?[/FONT]


[FONT=&quot]Any advice would be really appreciated.
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]

Gordon_Hose

Have Vodafone told you what the bill is for? Provided a breakdown?

Did you go on holiday and rack up roaming charges from data usage?

Ben8282

Your post contains very little information on what actually happened other than the fact that you received a large bill for £690.70 in February 2015 which was unusually high compared to any previous bills and that when you upgraded your phone you were sold the contract under the impression that data was unlimited.
I am therefore guessing that this bill is for excess data use?
The advice to you to stop your direct debit, if actually given in the assumed context, was bad advice. If they were accepting your dispute they should have applied some sort of credit to the account or reduced the direct debit themselves. You are surely not disputing the entire bill? By stopping the direct debit you have failed to pay the contract minimum payment and are therefore correctly being reported as in arrears.

Thrugelmir

Sounds as if you have not made subsequent contractual payments either. While one bill is in dispute this is not a reason not to pay anything.

What correspondence have you been receiving?

Have you continued to use the service?

MEM62

dawn_cunningham wrote: »

[FONT=&quot]I need some adivce on how to get VODAFONE to correct a bill - I have been waiting 9 months and have got nowhere with Customer Service. I am shocked how bad this is and it has really dented my confidence in VODAFONE. I have been a loyal customer for years, but if this is not resolved i am going to change mobile provider when my contract is up.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]I received a large bill for £690.70 in February 2015 which was unusually high compared to any previous bills, which they could see from my bill history.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]This was quiet upsetting. I had a similar situation only in my case it was at the end of my contract. (After 9 years of not exceeding my call allowance my final bill was £150 instead of the usual £15) [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]When I upgraded my phone, I was sold the contract under the impression that my date was unlimited. [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]I have been mis-sold the phone package - I was told this was unlimited data to begin & this would be adjusted to my needs. I have never been contacted to say this has changed. I am not aware of any contract that has limit free elements that will be adjusted at a later date based on your usage. Is it possible that you misunderstood? [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Once I received the bill, i contacted VODAFONE & I was advised to cancel the Direct debit until this is resolved, to avoid the full amount of the bill would be taken out of my account. It is unlikely that Vodafone gave you such advice. [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]I have recently checked my credit report and I was shocked to see this is at VERY POOR and VODAFONE listed this bill as a late payment!!! Because it was. [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Previously my report was VERY GOOD.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]I was assured this would not affect my credit. I am currently applying for a Mortgage and this is having serious implications which is devastating.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]I have asked them to contact EXPERIAN and withdraw this credit report - this is completely un-fair. In my experience you will receive no cooperation or sympathy from Vodafone. [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]I have always made my payments on time previously to this over 6+years being a loyal customer. Unfortunately, this counts for nothing these days. [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]I called numerous times and have never received a call back - I have been told this is still being investigated and assured VODAFONE will call me within 3 days - I have never received a call.
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Every time I follow this up the customer service is so bad, they keep reassuring me that it will be ok and they will have a decision in 3 days - then nothing.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]This has now been going on for 9 months and this is very stressful. In my experience this is normal for Vodafone [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]I want VODAFONE to re-adjust my bill so I can close the balance immediately, I am happy to pay a reasonable amount, but I want the extortionate charges to be wavered.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Most importantly i want them to contact EXPERIAN and remove the credit score.
[/FONT]


[FONT=&quot]I am trying to get a mortgage and have been refused due to this credit problem. This is devastating. I have saved for 8 years for a deposit, I am a professional woman and work really hard only for a stupid mistake to have such an impact on my life.[/FONT]


[FONT=&quot]I wrote an official complaints letter 7days ago and have not heard anything back.
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]How can I get someone to listen to me?[/FONT]


[FONT=&quot]Any advice would be really appreciated.
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]

I have also had issues with Vodafone and am not their greatest fan. My experience is that they will show little in the way of assistance to resolve the issue. However, I do think that it is possible that you may have misunderstood the original offer. I stand to be corrected but I am not aware of any mobile contract that offers initial unlimited allowances that are adjusted later on. Also, not paying the bill was always likely to result in a default and it is too late after the event to try and have this removed.


How old is the default? If this is your only default the impact of this will diminish with time.

Ben8282

MEM62 is correct. I missed this. Unlimited to begin with to be adjusted later on cannot be correct. Why would it be adjusted? When would it be adjusted? On what basis would it be adjusted?
Could he/she have said 'Take the cheapest deal with 500mb allowance and then if you find you need more it can be adjusted later on?'
Also UNLIMITED DATA is VERY UNUSUAL. How much were you paying a month for this fantastic deal.

SnowTiger

You shouldn't let things like this drag on for so long. It's been NINE MONTHS!

Make a complaint in writing:

Customer Relations Manager
Vodafone Limited
The Connection
Newbury
Berkshire
RG14 2FN

We'll let you know when we've received your complaint, and will start our investigation. We might need to call you to check the details as we look into things.

Once we've reviewed your complaint, we'll let you know the outcome, usually within five working days of receiving your complaint. If it's going to take longer, we'll let you know and keep you informed of our progress.

In your letter explain what the problem is and what you want them to do about it. Don't ramble.

If you're not happy with Vodafone's response you can take the issue up with the Ombudsman Services. Details at the bottom of the page I directed you to previously.

SnowTiger

Ben8282 wrote: »

MEM62 is correct. I missed this. Unlimited to begin with to be adjusted later on cannot be correct. Why would it be adjusted? When would it be adjusted? On what basis would it be adjusted?
Could he/she have said 'Take the cheapest deal with 500mb allowance and then if you find you need more it can be adjusted later on?'
Also UNLIMITED DATA is VERY UNUSUAL. How much were you paying a month for this fantastic deal.

Vodafone is offering upgraders unlimited data for the first two months of their new contract. They've been offering it for a while, but I cannot recall whether it was offered at the beginning of this year.



As you suggest, I suspect the OP was told they could buy more data if they needed it, not that this would happen automatically.

n15h

SnowTiger wrote: »

You shouldn't let things like this drag on for so long. It's been NINE MONTHS!

If you're not happy with Vodafone's response you can take the issue up with the Ombudsman Services. Details at the bottom of the page I directed you to previously.

I agree with SnowTiger. You should not have let this drag on for so long. From the first moment, you should have made it clear that you want this matter investigated and resolved as urgently as possible since you are looking to take out a mortgage.


If they didn't provide a satisfactory response, you should have escalated this to a complaint so it gets taken more seriously. Thirdly, keep a record of all the times you have made contact with Vodafone, whether that is by phone / email / letter. This will help your case should you need to go to the Ombudsman. Surely if Vodafone has taken this long to resolve a complaint, the Ombudsman will take a dim view of their customer service.


In terms of the actual issue, I've got to wonder what the sales agent actually told you and whether you mis-heard / misunderstood what he/she was saying. Did you make the purchase in store or call centre? Maybe you could ask Vodafone to provide details/recordings of the sales call as part of the complaint. This can highlight what was said during the sale, however, it all depends on whether Vodafone has a record of the sales call that was made many years ago.


If this fails, you may be able to put forward a Subject Data Request so Vodafone provide all the information they hold about you - I believe a company has 40 days to comply with this request but can charge you £10 or £20 (I could be mistaken) for this. If they fail to comply, you can escalate to the Information Commissioner.

Vodafone

Hi dawn cunningham,

If you still haven't had a reply to your complaint, email me via the Contact us form here.

To access the form you'll need to enter the code WRT135.

As well as stating your query in the question box, please also quote "MSE Forum".

Once sent, you'll receive an automated reply with a reference number. Post it on here and I’ll check I've received it.

Kind regards,

Lee

Social Media Comms

Vodafone UK

runforlife

For a long time Vodafone have offered Unlimited Data for 3 months called 'Datadrive' or something similar. This is for the customer to judge that they are on the most suitable package and for them to arrange that that is the case at the end of the 3 months.

This might explain the OPs post of being unlimited at the beginning.

My experience with Vf billing in the past has been a nightmare, but then it was also with O2.